Stoner from start in Estoril

Estoril, Portugal - Australian World champion Casey Stoner won the Portuguese MotoGP here on Sunday for his second successive victory this season, giving him a one-point lead in the title race.

The 26-year-old Honda rider - whose win here was his first in the race and means he has won on every GP track - beat Spain's 2010 World champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha).

Stoner's team mate Dani Pedrosa became only the seventh rider to celebrate 100 podium finishes with his third place.

‘BIT OF PRESSURE’

Stoner - who has been affected by “arm pump” where the nerves get trapped and numb the hand - said it was a tough event. "There was a bit of pressure throughout the race," said the man who won his first Spanish MotoGP the previous weekend. "I wasn't feeling good or comfortable and I had a bit of arm pump. I was lucky to hold on and win."

Lorenzo, winner at Estoril twice (including his first win at this level) said he had never felt as if he was going to win. “I only ever expected to be, at best, second," said Lorenzo who saw his run of four poles ended here on Saturday when he was fourth fastest. "We had a lot of problems in practice and were losing time every lap in the straight. Stoner was very strong."

Pedrosa, too, conceded that his team mate had been too good. "It was really tough. Casey put up a really strong pace and I had to adapt my riding style. I wasn't able to keep up with the pace he was setting up front."

SPIES DISAPPOINTED

Pedrosa got the better start but was quickly passed by both Stoner and Lorenzo while Cal Crutchlow lost two spots and Valentino Rossi, who had qualified in his highest position on Saturday, gained two places from ninth to seventh.

Ben Spies once again disappointed as he lost places after a good qualifying (fifth-fastest on his Yamaha) but the laid back American - who listened to the band Metallica while waiting on the grid - dropped to ninth after a quarter of the race had been run.

The pressure will only increase on Spies as he has been given a target of winning two races this term and was eventually only to finish eighth, behind Rossi, who recorded his best finish of the season on his Ducati.

16 FINISHED

Up ahead, Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa opened up a sizeable gap over the remainder of the field as they fought out the podium places with 20 laps remaining. Some six seconds back, Andrea Dovizioso and Crutchlow were having their own duel for fourth and fifth while Rossi consolidated seventh.

With 10 laps to go Stoner and Lorenzo looked to have the race to themselves as Pedrosa dropped off slightly. Further behind the field was whittled down to 16 out of 20 starters.

Stoner repelled everything that Lorenzo tried to throw at him and, going into the final lap, held a comfortable lead of just over a second and never looked like relinquishing that advantage.